Introducing a new publication, readings, presentations, and book-signings
A Dream and a Chisel: Louisiana Sculptor, Angela Gregory in Paris, 1925-1928
Featuring Author Nancy Penrose and Angela Gregory Historian Susan Hymel
Book summary: A portrait of a young artist’s formative years studying sculpture in Paris, recounted in her own .
The readings, presentations and book signings are free and open to the public on the following days and locations:
New Orleans
No Book Tour Scheduled for 2020 at this time
Baton Rouge Region:
No Book Tour Scheduled for 2020 at this time
Buy A DREAM AND A CHISEL from your favorite bookseller:
The University of South Carolina Press
Overview of Book, Authors, and Presentations
Angela Gregory, born in New Orleans in 1903, is considered the doyenne of Louisiana sculpture with works on buildings and in public spaces throughout the state.Her story begins with parents who encouraged her unusual yet burning desire to become a sculptor. After graduating from Newcomb College Art School in 1925,she sailed for Paris, her sights set on studying with Antoine Bourdelle, at that time considered the greatest living French sculptor. Many students clamored to work with him, yet Angela Gregory’s sheer grit and determination led to the great artist’s invitation to enter his personal studio and learn the art of cutting stone. Her years working with Bourdelle ignited a long artistic career that garnered national and international recognition.
A Dream and a Chisel: Louisiana Sculptor Angela Gregory in Paris, 1925–1928, by Angela Gregory and Nancy L. Penrose and published by the University of South Carolina Press, is Gregory’s memoir of her years in Paris and their influence on her life and work. The book is based on Penrose’s oral history interviews with the artist and includes numerous excerpts from letters and diaries compiled before Gregory’s death in 1990.
Gregory’s most famous works are the bas-relief profiles for the New Orleans Criminal Count building, the Louisiana State Capitol building and the sculpted bronze statue honoring Bienville, the founder of New Orleans
The new publication will be available at readings, presentations, and book-signings to be held in February 2019 in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Penrose is an award-winning writer whose essays have been published in many literary magazines and in anthologies. Also speaking with Penrose will be Susan Hymel, historian of Angela Gregory and representative of Gregory Art LLC, a partnership to preserve and promote her remarkable works of art in Louisiana museums and historic buildings.
Book information:
“New Orleans native Angela Gregory’s story of her years in the Paris atelier of a prominent sculptor is a fascinating tale. In forthright language she recounts the challenges she faced as an American and as a woman, shedding light on the rigors and benefits of academic training. Her narrative is peppered with entertaining anecdotes and descriptions of her encounters with such notable figures as her mentor Antoine Bourdelle and his wife, Cleopatra, Krishnamurti, and Joseph Campbell, who encouraged Gregory to write about her Parisian experiences.”
—Martha R. Severens, Curator, Greenville County Museum of Art 1992–2010
“This detailed text is a testament to two dynamic women—Nancy Penrose, whose decades-long effort to tell the story of Angela Gregory’s artistic awakening that led to this insightful book, and to Gregory herself, who unabashedly committed to sculpture despite societal expectations.”
—Amy Galpin, chief curator, Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
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